Christmas Eve in Paris
by Jade Leaf Forest
Summary: Taichi is surprised by some unexpected visitors on Christmas Eve while studying abroad in Paris.


**Finally managed to upload this! This is a secret santa gift for Tumblr user gossipchii who requested Taiorato. It's a little light on the shipping, but I still hope you enjoy it. Happy holidays!**

* * *

 **Christmas Eve in Paris**

Taichi stood at the entrance of his apartment block, not for the first time wondering what he was doing here. It had been only a few months since he'd started his postgraduate study of European law and politics, at the insistence of one of his mentors. Taichi was sure his mentor had made a compelling argument, but standing in the freezing cold while a delivery person shouted at him in heavily accented French was making it hard for Taichi to remember her reasoning.

Once again, Taichi attempted to concentrate on the words being spoken by his not-so-friendly companion. A year in America had vastly improved his English skills, so he had thought studying in France would do the same for his French, but a lot more people tended to speak English – including his international flatmates – so Taichi found it much more difficult to practice, which was probably why he now found himself in his current predicament.

The delivery worker gestured to the parcel he was carrying and then towards Taichi's apartment, speaking rapid French, so that Taichi could only catch the least helpful words (yes, he could figure out for himself that the delivery worker wanted Taichi to take the parcel off his hands; however, it was the more nuanced words that were lost in translation). Taichi was just about ready to give up when a voice spoke behind him in perfect Japanese.

"He wants to know if a Mr Muller lives here and whether you know him."

Well, _now_ Taichi felt like an idiot. Frederic Muller was one of his flatmates who had gone back to Germany for Christmas. How had he not caught his friend's name within that rush of French? Taichi held out his hands and took the parcel, saying he'd pass it on. The delivery worker glanced back to whoever had taken pity on Taichi, wished them both a _'Merry Christmas'_ and rushed off back into his van. Taichi let out a sigh of relief and turned around to thank his translator, only to choke on his words.

"Yamato! Sora!"

Sora laughed at his surprise while Taichi continued to stare at them dumbfounded. Beside her, Yamato shoved his hands in his pockets before he trudged towards Taichi.

"Are you gonna let us in or not?"

"It is a little cold out," Sora admitted, coming to stand in between them.

"Of course!"

Yamato took the package while Taichi fumbled around with his keys. He led them up the staircase and into his shared apartment. Many post-graduate students lived in the area, as it was close to the universities without being too expensive.

"Sorry for the mess," he apologised almost automatically as he opened the door.

Yamato placed the package on a free surface and glanced around the apartment. Taichi turned around to face his friends and had to quickly brace himself as Sora wrapped her arms around his waist in a tight hug. Taichi hugged Sora back just as tightly. He had expected to spend the Christmas break alone, but instead his two closest friends had turned up unannounced at his door.

"Not that I'm ungrateful, but what're you two doing here?"

"Sora has a fashion show in Paris on New Year's Eve," Yamato replied as he shrugged off is coat.

"Yamato!" Sora cried, embarrassed. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I was invited to participate by a colleague, but I thought it would be a good excuse for us to see you. You said all your friends were going away for Christmas."

"A show in Paris? That's pretty fantastic, Sora! Yamato and I are still struggling through school."

"Speak for yourself," Yamato harrumphed, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned back against one of the couch arms.

Sora blushed. "Not really. She's a Parisian I took care of while she visited Japan, so naturally she offered me a spot after seeing my latest work. She's only returning the favour."

"Who cares? People are still going to see your designs," Taichi replied, unable to keep the grin off his face.

Taichi took Yamato's coat and held his arm out for Sora's. He noted that only Sora was carrying a small handbag with her. "You two staying locally?"

"My grandparents live on the other side of town, but it's easy to get to on the Metro."

"How did you know where to find me?"

"Why do you think I asked for your term address?" Sora asked.

Taichi turned away from them to hang up the coats, while also hiding his embarrassment. "I thought maybe you were going to write to me or something."

Sora laughed.

"So anyway," Taichi began with a cough, hoping to change the subject, "have you guys eaten yet? Do you want me to fix you up anything?"

"Sora and I had breakfast with my grandparents this morning," Yamato replied smoothly, sinking down to sit properly on the couch. "You don't have anything to drink, do you?"

"Sure. You want any wine?" Taichi asked as he stepped into the kitchen.

"Taichi!"

"It's a little early for that, isn't it? Besides, knowing my grandparents we'll be offered copious amounts tonight."

Taichi poked his head around the fridge door. Sora had taken the time to sit on one of the comfier-looking chairs.

"You're going back to your grandparents for dinner?" he asked, trying not to sound too disappointed.

"It's Le Réveillon. I think my grandparents would hunt me down if I didn't have dinner with them while I'm staying in Paris."

Of course, Taichi had forgotten how important Christmas Eve was in France. He poured out water for the three of them and carried the glasses back into the living room.

"You don't have any other plans, do you?" Sora asked after taking a sip of water. "Yamato's grandfather sounded as if he was going to drag you back to the apartment himself, until Yamato reminded him you might have already found somewhere else to go."

Taichi almost jumped for joy. "Are you kidding? I thought I was going to be spending the whole Christmas break on my own."

"They have three bedrooms, which means you and I will have to share."

"Oh, well if I have to share with Yamato, then I'll pass," Taichi responded with a grin.

Yamato narrowed his eyes at Taichi. "Hilarious."

Sora covered her mouth in a polite attempt to hide her giggles.

Taichi let out a sigh and headed towards his room. "Let me get my stuff together."

"Pack for a couple of nights. Yamato's grandparents said they wanted to keep us around for Christmas Day."

"Sure thing, Mom."

Sora stuck out her tongue at Taichi in response.

* * *

They set off from Taichi's apartment before noon. Since it was Sora's first time visiting Paris she wanted to do some sightseeing first, but with nearly every shop and tourist attraction closed they were limited on where they could visit.

However, Sora didn't seem to mind, walking ahead with cheeks flushed from the cold and eyes wandering from one iconic site to another with infectious enthusiasm. Taichi and Yamato strolled behind her at a little more sedate pace, watching Sora more than the sights around them. Slowly, Taichi's fingers wandered towards Yamato's hand.

Yamato stiffened and glanced around, clearly nervous, before glaring at Taichi. Taichi used Yamato's surprise to link their fingers together.

"It's fine. There's no one around and even if there was, they wouldn't bother to comment."

Yamato flushed and buried the lower half of his face into his scarf in an attempt to hide his embarrassment, but at least he didn't let go of the other's hand. Taichi grinned and closed the distance, wrapping his arm around Yamato's.

"Don't push it, Yagami."

"Aww, but you're really warm," Taichi replied with a laugh. "Plus this makes me realise something." He leaned in close and waited for Yamato to look at him before he answered. "I'm taller than you now."

Yamato's reaction was instant, detangling his arm from Taichi's and shoving the laughing man as hard as he could manage.

"We're the same height, you idiot!"

"If you say so," Taichi said between laughter.

Yamato sucked in a breath but immediately stopped when he noticed Sora watching them, all traces of amusement gone from her face.

"Problem?"

Taichi stood to attention. "No Ma'am."

Yamato looked away, but didn't respond. Sora sighed.

Without warning, she grabbed each of the boys by the arm and began leading them forward, the smile forced back on her face. Taichi started pointing out any buildings he deemed important enough (or if he remembered something about them), sometime interjecting with a funny story from his first few months studying here (there were unfortunately a lot of those – particularly due to mistranslations). Soon even Yamato began adding his own information, sometimes showing up his friend's knowledge, much to Taichi's chagrin. Slowly any tension disappeared and Sora was back to her cheerful self.

However, the best moment was when they walked into an open park area and Sora looked up to see the Eiffel Tower. The boys watched her reaction as her arms fell loosely to her sides, the shock on her face quickly replaced with wonder. She pulled out her phone from her handbag.

"We need to take a picture together!"

Yamato wrapped an arm around her waist and took her phone with his free hand, holding it as far away as possible. After a prompting look from Sora, Taichi put one hand on her opposite shoulder and grabbed her phone with the other to make it easier to steady. Sora wrapped her arms around their shoulders to bring their faces closer to hers.

"Alright," Yamato warned, "3, 2, 1…"

Yamato took a couple of pictures and Taichi dropped his arm to let Yamato return Sora's phone to her. She flicked through the pictures and, seemingly satisfied, gave them both a nod of approval. Just as they began walking again, Sora grabbed the boys' arms and pulled them back close to her. She kissed them each on the cheek.

"Can we find somewhere to sit inside for a little while? I'm freezing."

Taichi pulled out his phone with his free hand and looked up the details of a place he knew nearby. With a slight tug at his companions, Taichi began leading them from the main touristy areas down some less travelled back streets. He stopped on the corner of one, in front of a small café that still had its lights on.

"They should be open for the next hour, so we can warm up in here."

The door chimed as they stepped in and Taichi greeted the woman behind the counter with a friendly _'Hello.'_

" _Hello Taichi,"_ she replied, sounding relieved to see any customers.

" _Can we order three hot chocolates, Sophie?"_

" _Of course, although I'll be closing in an hour."_

" _That's fine. We just needed somewhere warm and I want them to try your fantastic hot chocolate."_

Sophie laughed. _"Just give me a few minutes to heat things up. Are these your friends from Japan?"_

" _Yes, they're in Paris for Christmas and New Year."_

Sophie waved at Yamato and Sora, saying hello to them in Japanese. Sora smiled, returning the greeting.

" _Good day. Thank you for welcoming us,"_ Yamato said, sounding a little too formal for Taichi.

Sophie's eyes widened. _"You're French?"_

Taichi laughed and Yamato blushed. Noticing that Taichi wasn't going to step in and save him, Yamato fumbled through his response.

" _My grandfather is French. My French… no good."_

Sophie corrected him and after Yamato repeated her words back, she seemed satisfied.

" _And do you speak any French, Miss?"_ she asked, directing her attention towards Sora.

Sora turned bright red and shook her head vigorously from side to side.

" _No, no,"_ she said in a panic, switching to English in hopes that she would be understood. _"I only speak a little English."_

Taichi smirked, "Good guess."

Sora blushed deeper, but Sophie didn't seem to mind.

" _I speak a little English too,"_ Sophie replied with a heavy accent. She glanced between the boys. _"So, which one is your boyfriend?"_

Sora's face went from pink to scarlet and Taichi couldn't contain his laughter. She glared at him in a way that promised she'd get revenge when he least expected it.

" _They're my friends, not my boyfriends."_

Sophie seemed a little disappointed but kept the smile on her face. _"Too bad."_

Taichi turned around so that his back was to Sophie and he was facing Sora. It seemed as if he was walking towards one of the tables, but as he passed his oldest friend, he mouthed 'Liar' to her. Sora scowled at him, daring him to say anything.

The three sat down at a table close to the window so that they were able to look out onto the currently empty street. Taichi had discovered the place by accident when he was lost, tired and feeling irritable. Sophie and her co-workers were a welcome break from the busy Parisian streets – plus, their hot chocolate was divine.

Soon, Sophie wandered over with a tray with three steaming mugs.

" _Here you are, three hot chocolates. Enjoy!"_ She repeated the phrase again in English for Sora's benefit.

Sora and the boys each politely thanked her in French, before taking a sip.

"Is this hot chocolate?"

Taichi grinned at Sora's response. "Good, isn't it?"

"It tastes like melted chocolate!"

Taichi sipped his hot chocolate, feeling smug.

Sora hunched over so that she was as close to Taichi as possible. "How do you say 'It's delicious' in French?"

Taichi repeated the phrase a few times for Sora's benefit, who then shouted it over to their waitress. Sophie beamed in response and thanked them in Japanese.

They continued to catch up on each other's news for the past few months. Yamato excused himself to use the restroom.

"So, how've you been?"

Sora smiled, taking another sip of her hot chocolate. "Busy. We both miss you."

Taichi always thought Sora had it the worst of the three of them. While he and Yamato ended up going abroad, she stayed in Tokyo trying to make a name for herself. Although, it sounded as if all her hard work was starting to pay off.

"I know I said it already, but congratulations on your first international fashion show."

Sora looked towards the floor. "I'm worried they're going to hate me."

"I don't think anyone could hate you, Sora. And if this friend is trying to help you, I don't think she'd add your outfit unless she thought it would be well received."

"I hope so. Ms Sugo and I have been working hard to make it good enough."

"It'll be fantastic. I hope you've got me a ticket to watch."

Sora smiled and nodded, but her attention wandered to Yamato as he returned.

"We should probably make our way to my grandparents' apartment now."

Taichi and Sora stood up to join him. They thanked Sophie again and left her a generous tip before departing.

* * *

The door was opened to the trio by a familiar face.

"Thank goodness, Mamy was about to send me out searching for you."

"Sorry we're late, Papy."

"Nothing to be sorry for. Come in, come in!" Michel said, ushering the three inside.

Taichi handed his coat to Yamato, who hung it alongside the others. The apartment was warm and smelled of cooking. The soft lighting only added to the cosy feeling. There was a grandfather clock in the entranceway with sprigs of mistletoe draped over the top.

"Perfect timing, the oysters have just finished cooking."

A petite Japanese woman stood in the doorway wearing a red and white apron. She exchanged kisses with Yamato before moving onto their guests. Everyone followed her into the main living area.

"You'll have to share Yamato's room," Yamato's grandfather explained, gesturing towards one of the closed doors as they passed it.

"That's fine. Thanks for having me."

"We couldn't leave you to spend Christmas alone, could we?" Mrs Takaishi interrupted, grabbing Taichi by the arm and dragging him towards the table. He barely had enough time to drop his bag into Yamato's arms. Sora watched the exchange with bemusement.

The trio quickly sat down and Mrs Takaishi brought in each dish. Michel stoked the fire before joining them, bringing over a bottle of wine for the table.

A few dishes and a glass of wine into the meal, Taichi was beginning to enjoy himself more and more. Sometimes Michel would give up with Japanese altogether, switching suddenly to French on a whim. Mrs Takaishi would lean in and translate for Sora until the conversation would switch again to Japanese.

"Yamato, why are you not studying in France with your friend?"

From the way Sora stiffened, Taichi quickly determined this topic had been broached before. Yamato picked up his glass and took a tiny sip of wine.

"I'm aiming for the Japanese Space Program, so studying in France won't help me gain the right contacts."

"You studied a year in America and your mother says you'll be going to China next summer."

Taichi perked up at that information and glanced towards Sora in silent question. Her expression said, _'We'll fill you in afterwards.'_

"That's because the Americans and Chinese are currently at the forefront of space exploration. Besides, Europeans use English when they work together, so learning French still wouldn't help my career."

" _Ha, my grandson has time to learn everything but the language of his ancestors,"_ Michel complained in French.

"I can understand you perfectly fine," Yamato retorted in Japanese, sounding a little annoyed.

Taichi decided their conversation was getting a little too close to an argument.

" _Not to worry! For the rest of the visit, I will only speak to Yamato in French and only listen when he does the same."_

Michel laughed, _"Good, and don't answer him unless my grandson's French is perfect."_

The two women exchanged amused looks and Yamato flung up his arms in defeat. However, Taichi had enough experience seeing Yamato angry to know his annoyance was mostly just for show.

The conversation became a little less heated and Michel slowly seemed to forget he had insisted Yamato needed to speak in French for the rest of the meal. Yamato went to get the Yule log and divided a portion of it between the five. The conversations slowly died down into comfortable silence, broken only by the occasional crack from the dying fire.

The old grandfather clock struck midnight and Taichi found himself helping Yamato's grandparents, who were slightly tipsy from the wine they'd consumed earlier, back to their bedroom. He re-entered the dining room to see Sora taking out the last of the dishes into the kitchen.

"Your grandparents are safely in bed."

Yamato didn't even pause from his washing up. "Thanks for taking care of them. Papy really likes you."

Taichi laughed, accepting a tea towel from Sora. "I think a lot of it is because I can speak a little French."

The three continued to clean in near-silence, glad for each other's company. Yamato washed the dishes while Taichi and Sora dried them and put everything away. The clock struck one before they stumbled towards their rooms, the boys wishing Sora a good night.

Taichi flopped down on the bed and peered over the side to watch Yamato, who was lying on the floor.

"So, China, huh?"

Yamato had a surprisingly intimidating glare for someone with only one eye open. He sighed.

"Nothing's been decided. My professor suggested an exchange during the summer vacation. And we'd be speaking English."

Taichi held up his hands. "Hey, no need to get defensive with me."

Yamato apologised.

Taichi scooted back towards the wall to make room for Yamato. "You know your grandfather doesn't mean anything by it, right?"

Yamato sat up and crawled into bed with Taichi. "I know, but it just reminds me that I _should_ be fluent in French."

"Don't worry about it. I can tell they're proud of you. It's not every grandparent that can say their grandson has a degree in astrophysics."

"How about you? Still struggling to settle in?"

Taichi laughed, but couldn't keep the bitterness away.

"You'd think I'd be used to this by now."

"Maybe that's why you're still finding it difficult. You've never exactly struggled making friends. Next time, ask if you can go home with them during the holidays."

"Seems a little rude doesn't it?"

"When has that stopped you in the past?"

While Taichi tried to think of a witty comeback, Yamato slowly closed his eyes. Just as Taichi was getting comfortable, the door cracked open, letting in a sliver of light from the hallway. Soft feet crept across the floor and Taichi felt the bed depress at one end before Sora slipped between the two. The boys each wrapped an arm around her, their foreheads still touching. Sora opened her eyes long enough to smile at them before settling down.

"Merry Christmas."

Taichi hadn't asked for anything this Christmas, but it seemed to him like he'd gotten his greatest wish anyway.

* * *

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